I removed my valve cover because I am prepping it to paint it in the morning. Now if I let the car sit without the valve cover on overnight will it be okay? Or will the oil collect dirt or dry up anywhere?

 

just close the hood and you should be fine.

 

Okay great, thank you!

 

ALSO after I removed my valve cover, the gasket was still good. (AFTER 70K+ miles)

 

Replace it, they only cost $25.

 

I would put a garbage bag or something over the engine too just for peace of mind.

 

ive put shop rags over open valve covers on many a build and its done the job well...and replace the valve cover gasket, you never reuse gaskets man

 

He can reuse the gasket. There are plenty of people on here who will tell you they've taken their cover off and reused the gasket several times. However I replaced mine at around that mileage when I did my valve adjustment but I'm anal

 

Fwiw, I had mine off for the first time ever - 8 years and 70k mi, and the gasket was still good.

 

doesnt matter if the gasket is still good or not...if it comes off,it needs to be replaced...its only 25 bucks, but hey, its not my car so i really dont care...im just trying to let people know its not a wise decision to reuse a peice of 12 year old rubber that is subjected to extreme temperatures